One reason, if not the major reason, that LeBron James has taken so long to decide whether to play in Miami or Cleveland next season is the infamous letter Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert penned about James after the superstar left Cleveland in 2010, sources said.

In the letter, written in Comic Sans font, Gilbert called James a "coward" and mocked the many nicknames and catchphrases attached to James, such as "King James," "The Chosen One" and "Witness." ...

... While league executives wait for James to make his announcement, many refuse to believe he'll return to Cleveland to play for Gilbert. Some even believe it would be hypocritical after how powerfully James spoke out against Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling after racist comments by Sterling were made public in May.

Hours after the Cleveland Cavaliers believed they were on the cusp of a commitment out of LeBron James, the superstar free agent jetted 30,000 feet over America with Dwyane Wade on his way back to Miami. ...

... Calls were going to agents, searching for the kind of experienced, winning players who would make sense in a supporting cast for James, league sources said. Some agents postponed potential deals elsewhere, believing Cleveland's exuberance to be an assurance James was on his way back.

In the late morning, the Cavaliers operated with a belief James would soon commit to them, that it was only a matter of time. They had word out of everyone, except as one high-ranking source said, "It still hasn't been confirmed by the only man whose confirmation counts."

Wojnarowski continued:

Riley hasn't been bombarding James with text messages and calls, but ultimately left Wade as a most intriguing, last-gasp suitor in the desert. As much as anything, Wade's bad knees could be chasing him out of Miami, and suddenly he had been cast back into the recruiter's role.

Four years later the city of Cleveland and its front office took a deep breath and waited on James again. For weeks, James' inner-circle had predicted he'd release his free-agent choice and board quickly for a flight to Brazil for the World Cup final, sources said. James would leave the outrage and adulation behind, leave it for someone else to clean up.

Updates from Thursday, July 10

Broussard reports the latest on James' plans:

LeBron is currently on a flight back to Miami. Then he's off to Brazil.

This much is clear: Riley is confident James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade will return, according to people who have had phone conversations with Riley in the last week. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports under the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the conversations.

Of course, Riley's confidence doesn't guarantee anything. But right now, he isn't scrambling.

Sam Amico of Fox Sports notes that Kyrie Irving has joined the Cleveland Cavaliers' crusade to land LeBron James:

Kyrie Irving has made recruiting pitch to LeBron James, sources say. ESPN reports Kyrie as saying Cavs will get LeBron all the help he needs

Wojnarowski earlier detailed how James' agent, Rich Paul, has given the Cavaliers hope of landing the superstar:

At the urging of LeBron James' agent, the Cleveland Cavaliers are pursuing a maximum contract salary slot to bring back the free-agent superstar, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Rich Paul, the president of Klutch Sports, has been funneling belief into the organization that the Cavaliers are in strong position to lure James from the Miami Heat, sources told Yahoo Sports.

For years, Paul has confided to people that bringing back James to Cleveland has been something of a mission for him, and he's encouraging Cavaliers officials to offer no restraint in the recruitment of James, sources said.

After more than two years of planning, the Cleveland Cavaliers believe they have LeBron James legitimately listening to their pitch to leave the Miami Heat and return to his home state in free agency, according to sources close to the process.

There has yet to be a firm indication that James actually is ready to leave Miami after four years and two championships with the Heat, but sources told ESPN.com that the four-time MVP is increasingly considering the Cavaliers as an option as he moves into the final stages of deciding which team to sign his next contract with.

LeBron James and his agent, Rich Paul, plan on meeting with Miami Heat president Pat Riley in person early this week, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the talks.

James is a free agent, and the revelation that he will be sitting down with Riley soon is surely comforting to Heat fans who have every reason to wonder if he may be heading elsewhere soon.

Broussard made a case why a new team is currently his favorite to land James:

Cleveland has replaced Miami as my frontrunner to land LeBron James...

Anthony Lima of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland reported that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and one of LeBron's favorite former Cleveland teammates flew to Florida on Sunday:

Former Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was on a flight to south Florida on a plane owned by Dan Gilbert multiple sources tell 92.3 The Fan’s Anthony Lima.

Ilgauskas is extremely close with LeBron James and it is possible that he could be part of the team’s pitch to convince the 4-time NBA MVP to return to Cleveland after he opted out of his contract in Miami after four years.

Amico reports on how LeBron's agent Rich Paul feels about the Cavs' current outlook:

I'm told, by multiple sources now, LeBron agent Rich Paul told Cavs he's impressed w what they've done and what they can still do to roster.

One associate of James told me that he still makes the Heat the clear favorite to keep James but also that the four-time MVP is "weighing all his options" and "wants to see how things play out" with the Heat's roster, which he wants upgraded. As has been reported, James wants the maximum money allowed, and the Heat is fine with that.

But that associate also said it's very difficult to envision him signing with Phoenix or Houston. (Dallas did not come up in the conversation with the associate.)

The associate reiterated that the idea of playing again in Cleveland again at some point appeals to James and said the Cavaliers cannot be ruled out this summer.

Houston Rockets officials spoke with Paul by phone, but were not granted a meeting and have moved on with their pursuit of Carmelo Anthony, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Some executives believe there's an opportunity because of a disconnect between James and his teammates, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Another executive attending the meeting flatly said, "I think it's a smokescreen."

"There's clearly a breakdown in communication between LeBron and [Wade and Bosh]," one executive who participated in the meetings over the past two days told Yahoo Sports. "[James is] giving Riley time to go get players for them but if that doesn't happen in the next few days … LeBron seems ready to explore the market."

Stein noted that four teams have met with James' agent Rich Paul:

ESPN sources say reps from Cavs, Suns, Rockets and Mavs have all met with agent Rich Paul in Cleveland while LeBron has been on vacation

LeBron James has begun to assess teams outside the Miami Heat that have expressed an interest in signing him in free agency, a source close to the process told FOX Sports Ohio on Wednesday.

James has not visited with any suitors, and sources said interested parties have been unable to connect with him directly. Instead, James is havingCleveland-based agent Rich Paul conduct behind-the-scenes talks based on James' preferences.

The source told FOX Sports Ohio that James is not likely to go through the meet-and-greet scenarios of 2010, when he entered free agency as a member of the Cavs. Instead, the source said when James does reach a decision, he will make it known in a manner "that is likely to be bam, this is where I'm going."

Updates from Wednesday, July 2

Broussard has this on James' recent interaction with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh:

When the Miami Heat's "Big 3" went their separate ways after a lunch meeting last Wednesday, they went not knowing whether they had played their last game together, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

While Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were committed to returning to the Heat, LeBron James was unsure of what he would do, the sources said.

The only certainty coming out of the meeting concerning James was that he wanted a maximum-level salary.

James did not ask or suggest that Wade and Bosh opt out of their deals or take lesser salaries to allow the Heat to add other top players, according to the sources.

Updates from Tuesday, July 1

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that it's been a quiet day on the LeBron free-agency front:

24 hours into free agency, LeBron James has been quiet. Teams hoping to engage have been mostly unable. No doors closed but teams moving on

Wojnarowski reported another franchise is looking to land James in free agency:

Armed with an offer that no else in the NBA can make – a chance to partner with Carmelo Anthony on an instant championship contender – the Phoenix Suns are planning an aggressive pursuit of LeBron James on Tuesday, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

[...]

Phoenix is determined to emerge as a legitimate destination for James and Anthony, who have privately shared an affinity for playing with each other in the NBA. Salary-cap structures make it prohibitive for teams elsewhere to fit these two stars together without completely gutting a roster, but Phoenix's general manager Ryan McDonough has constructed a far different reality to sell them in potential meetings next week, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The talks between the three players is the strongest indication yet that James plans to re-sign with the Heat after he becomes a free agent on Tuesday. Unlike in 2010 when all three took nearly identical contracts, the discussions this time have included the possibility that James would draw the highest salary among the three, sources said.

James, 29, has never been the single highest-paid player on his team in his 11-year NBA career.

Under league rules, players are not allowed to negotiate new contracts with their teams until July 1. However, there is nothing preventing the players from working it out among themselves, and cutting up the Heat's upcoming record $55 million in available cap space is believed to have been a major part of the discussion when Wade, James and Bosh held a meeting last week in Miami.

Updates from Friday, June 27

Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade have reportedly opted out of their current deals, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press:

Wojnarowski provides details on how LeBron's deal with Miami could play out:

While Bosh, Wade and Haslem could ultimately take less money with the early termination outs in their deals, James, the NBA's four-time MVP, is seeking a full maximum contract extension – or something close to it – to stay with Miami, sources told Yahoo Sports.

[...]

James' priority remains to find a way to make a future work with Miami, but a failure by the organization toward improving the Heat's roster to his satisfaction could send him aggressively into free agency, sources said.

Windhorst indicates James' other suitors are on standby:

Teams hoping to schedule free agent meetings with LeBron James next week have not been able to as yet, sources told ESPN

Broussard added more on James' free agency and his potential destinations, including the likelihood of a move to Los Angeles to play for the Clippers (Insider Only):

As mentioned above, I'm told the Clippers are not among James' most preferred destinations. While James and Clippers point guard Chris Paul are great friends, there are concerns about the compatibility of their games. Paul is not as capable of excelling off the ball as Wade was when he adjusted to playing with James.

Beyond that, there is still the very real problem of Donald Sterling's shadow hovering over the Clippers. I was not told that this would be an issue, but as outspoken as James was about wanting Sterling out of the league, it seems implausible that he would willingly go play for the Clippers until Sterling's ouster is complete. That is not likely to happen before July 8.

Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reports the Lakers are interested in James:

The Lakers are intrigued by LeBron James reportedly opting out of his contract and are hopeful of meeting with the free agent-to-be, The Times has learned.

They are proceeding with caution, however, aware that James might simply re-sign for less so the Miami Heat can add another free agent of note.

Original Text

The status of LeBron James promises to dominate the NBA's offseason in the coming weeks and months. Initial reports suggested that King James' talents would remain in South Beach.

James can opt out of the remainder of his contract if he so chooses, but Sean Deveney of Sporting Newsis reporting that LeBron is expected to stay with the Miami Heat regardless.

A source close to the situation told Sporting News that, while no final decisions have been made, James 'is very likely' to stay in Miami. ... The source indicated that James remembers all too well the way he was pilloried for leaving Cleveland four years ago, and that he has worked hard to rebuild his public perception. He feels the team can still win in Miami, and bolting while the team is still of championship caliber will undo the remaking of his image.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports that Pat Riley's press conference on Thursday did little to help Miami's odds of retaining its superstar:

One NBA team prez said Heat prez Pat Riley appeared nervous about keeping LeBron in his long, odd presser & more teams will make a pitch now

If James does remain with the Heat, that doesn't necessarily mean that he will opt in. If he opts out along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, then it could potentially allow Miami to add another star such as Carmelo Anthony provided they agree to pay cuts.

According to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst, James opting out is the expected result since it will present him with the most potential options moving forward.

No player deals with a heavier burden to perform on a daily basis during the season than James does. He is now in position to transfer that to the organizations and his peers. That is why his most likely path is to opt out of his contract after the draft so that he will maximize his flexibility while putting teams on the clock.

Not surprisingly, LeBron was publicly noncommittal when asked about his free-agency plans following the end of Miami's season:

Per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, James was totally unwilling to reveal anything significant about his future with the Heat or any other team for that matter.

Me and my team will sit down and deal with it. I love Miami. My family loves it. But obviously right now that's not even what I'm thinking about. ... You guys are trying to find answer. I'm not going to give you one. I'm just not going to give it to you. When I get to that point, I'll deal with it.

If LeBron does decide to return to Miami as Sporting Newssuggests, then there is no doubt that improvements need to be made. The fact that the Heat made the NBA Finals four straight times with James at the helm is incredible, but they were decimated by a superior San Antonio Spurs team.

After getting eliminated by the Spurs in five games, LeBron had no problem admitting that the Spurs were simply better:

The Heat did make the Finals, so it isn't as though they are that far off. They should have a fairly easy road through the Eastern Conference once again next season and could get better than whoever their Western Conference opponent ends up being by adding someone like Melo.

With whom will LeBron James play in 2014-15?

Miami HeatCleveland CavaliersA team other than the Heat or CavsSubmit Votevote to see results

With whom will LeBron James play in 2014-15?

Miami Heat

50.5%

Cleveland Cavaliers

21.4%

A team other than the Heat or Cavs

28.1%

Total votes: 30,578

James may not be in an ideal situation with the Heat right now, but it can get better. LeBron also has an opportunity to show his loyalty after leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers high and dry four years ago.

LeBron proved that anything can happen when he jumped to the Heat initially, but jumping ship for a second time would arguably be even more shocking than the first considering everything James has accomplished in Miami.